THE GAMES (Times MST)
Match 25 | Friday, Nov. 2 |  3,  2 | Recap | Box Score (PDF)
Match 26 | Sunday, Nov. 4 (1 p.m.) |  at  | Pac-12 Network | Live Stats | Twitter Updates
  ARIZONA BEGINS NOVEMBER IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
As the calendar turns to the final month of the regular season, twenty-first Arizona (17-7, 6-6 Pac-12) will make the longest road trip in the Pac-12 this week, Tucson to the Evergreen State, for a pair of important matchups at No. 18 Washington State (17-5, 8-4 Pac-12) and Washington (13-9, 5-7 Pac-12) this weekend. The Wildcats will look to avenge losses to both the Cougars and the Huskies, who defeated the Wildcats in McKale Center earlier this season.

QUICK HITS

• No. 21 Arizona volleyball is set to hit the road for the first of two straight road weekends to open up November. The Wildcats, who split last weekend vs. Oregon State (W, 3-0) and No. 16 Oregon (L, 1-3). Arizona will look to avenge a pair of losses to Washington State and Washington earlier this year.
• Last weekend, Julia Patterson became the ninth player in Arizona history to surpass 2,000 career assists vs. Oregon (10/28). She sits ninth in school history with 2,015 assists, and has done it in under two years as UA's starting setter. 
• The Wildcats have been without their full starting lineup all of Pac-12 play, a trend that will likely continue this weekend. Four of UA's top five hitters have missed significant time in conference play: Kendra Dahlke (5.05 kills/set) missed three of the last five matches with a concussion and now a sprained foot, Paige Whipple (2.99 kills/set) missed two games with a concussion, Katie Smoot (2.30 kills/set) missed two games with a pulled abdomen muscle and Elizabeth Shelton (2.14 kills/set) has missed all 10 Pac-12 matches with a concussion and remains out indefinitely.
• Arizona is 17-7 (6-6 Pac-12) on the season; UA has already eclipsed its win total from 2017 (11) and already has twice as many Pac-12 road victories this season (2) as last year (1) in just five tries.
• The Wildcats moved up two spots in this week's AVCA Top 25 to No. 21. UA is making its 320th all-time appearance in the poll, 10th most in the NCAA.
• UA is one of the two teams in this week's AVCA Top 25 to have finished 2017 with an under .500 record (Tennessee); every other team currently ranked won at least 18 matches last season (UA went 11-18; UT went 12-15).
• Earlier this season, head coach Dave Rubio became the second coach in Pac-10/12 history to surpass 500 career wins as a league coach, winning No. 500 vs. New Mexico State (Sept. 14). He's now at 507 for his career entering this week.
• The Wildcats enter the week 12th in the nation (and third in the Pac-12) in kills/set (14.41). Since sets were reduced from 30 to 25 points in 2008, Arizona's best offensive mark for a season was 13.94 kills/set, done twice (2015, 2016).
• Kendra Dahlke, who will likely miss this weekend's matches with a sprained foot, leads the Pac-12 and is fourth in the nation, averaging 5.05 kills/set. She has had at least 15 kills in 16 of the 20 matches she has played in this season, including the first 11 matches, the longest 15-plus-kill streak in school history. Dahlke is tied for the Pac-12 lead in double-doubles (12) and is second in points/set (5.38).
• Dahlke's 369 kills this season include No. 1,000 in her career; she became the 18th player in school history reach the 1,000-kill milestone in week 2 vs. Lipscomb and now has climbed into the Arizona top 10 in career kills (7th - 1,290). The senior enters this weekend 181 kills shy of sixth place (Lisa Rutledge - 1,471). She is trying to become the fourth Wildcat to average over 5.00 kills per set, and the second to do it since sets were played to 25 (Madi Kingdon, 2014 - 5.33).
• Devyn Cross is one of only two players in the Pac-12 hitting .340 or better with 95-or-more blocks. She ranks sixth in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage (.357) and 11th in the league, averagine 1.10 blocks/set.
• Cross is hitting .367 in league play, the second best mark in the conference. Arizona's other starting middle, Shardonee Hayes, does not have enough attempts to qualify for the rankings, but is hitting .474 in Pac-12 play.
• Much of Arizona's offensive success to start the season can be attributed to junior setter Julia Patterson, who currently sits fourth in the Pac-12 and 19th in the NCAA, averaging 11.15 assists/set. 
• Despite having the conference leader in kills and attempts per set (Kendra Dahlke), Patterson spreads the sets around. Seven different Wildcats average 1.3 kills/set or more (Kendra Dahlke - 5.05, Paige Whipple - 2.99, Katie Smoot - 2.30, Elizabeth Shelton - 2.14, Devyn Cross - 2.13, Candice Denny - 1.62, Shardonee Hayes - 1.31), which is the most in the Pac-12 (min. 3 sets played).
• Arizona's offense ranks third in the Pac-12 in kills (14.41/set), third in assists (13.10/set) and fourth in hitting percentage (.244) after finishing 11th (12.50 kills/set), 11th (11.56 assists/set) and 12th (.204 hitting percentage), respectively, in the league in 2017.
• Arizona is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2018. Prior to missing the tournament last year, UA had been to seven of the previous eight NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by a Sweet 16 run in 2016. In all, Arizona has been to the NCAA Tournament in 19 of head coach Dave Rubio's 26 years and 28 times overall.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Wildcats have won 63 of the 84 meetings all-time vs. Washington State, but the Cougars have won the last four in the series, including a five-set victory in Tucson earlier this season in which they stormed back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Cats.
• Washington holds a 48-20 all-time lead in the series with Arizona. The Huskies swept the Wildcats in their in Tucson earlier this year (full recap on page 5) and have won 14 straight meetings between the two clubs.

COACHES

• Arizona: Dave Rubio (27th year; 507-316)
• Washington State: Jen Greeny (12th year; 238-149)
• Washington: Keegan Cook (4th year; 98-25)

OPPONENTS

• Washington State (17-5, 8-4 Pac-12) has won four straight matches to shoot into a tie for second place in the conference and a No. 18 national ranking. The Cougars have also vaulted into 10th in the NCAA RPI, putting them firmly in the conversation to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are second in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.187), much due to their 2.56 blocks/set, third best in the league.  
• Washington (13-9, 5-7 Pac-12) dropped out of the rankings this week after suffering its fourth and fifth straight losses at Utah and Colorado last week. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 in service aces (1.49/set), led by Destiny Julye, who ranks fifth in the conference, averaging 0.36 per set.

RANKINGS

• Arizona moved up two spots in the AVCA Top 25 this week from No. 23 to No. 21.
• The Wildcats have been ranked 320 total weeks in the AVCAP Top 25, dating back to 1982, the 10th-most among all schools in Division I.
• UA is 1-6 vs. ranked opponents this year.
• The Wildcats moved down six spots to No. 43 in this week's NCAA RPI.

MR. 500

• At this season's Wildcat Classic, Arizona head coach Dave Rubio won his 500th match at Arizona, becoming the second coach in Pac-10/12 history to reach 500 career victories as a coach in the league, joining legendary UCLA coach Andy Banachowski (619 wins, 1986-2009) as the only ones to reach the milestone.
• Rubio also joined a legendary group of Arizona coaches to win 500 games as a Wildcat: Mike Candrea (softball; 1986-present), Jerry Kindall (baseball; 1973-1996), Frank Sancet (baseball; 1950-1972), Lute Olson (men's basketball, 1983-2007) and Fred Enke (men's basketball; 1925-1961).
• Including his 122 victories at Division II Cal State Bakersfield, where he began his career from 1987-1991, Rubio has won 629 matches. Those 629 victories rank 20th among all active Division I coaches.   

TOP-10 CATS

• Kendra Dahkle leads the Pac-12 in kills (5.05/set), is tied for the league lead in double-doubles (12) and is second in points (5.38/set). It is believed that no Wildcat has led the league in all three categories (double-doubles were not tracked by the Pac-12 historically).
• Julia Patterson is fourth in the conference and 19th nationally, averaging 11.12 assists/set. In just under two seasons as UA's starting setter, Patterson has already cracked the Arizona career top 10 in assists (9th - 2,015). On Oct. 28, she became the ninth player in school history to pass 2,000 career assists. 
• Devyn Cross is sixth in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage (.357) overall and is hitting .367 in conference matches, second in the league. 
• Makenna Martin ranks 10th in the Pac-12, averaging 3.61 digs/set. She led UA in digs in 2017 (2.87/set).

WILD KITTENS

• Arizona was one of the youngest teams in the country a season ago, when UA started three freshmen and two sophomores. A year later, the Wildcats gained experience, but in the big picture, remain one of the youngest teams in the country.
• UA has 13 underclassmen (7 freshmen, 6 sophomores). This, along with UCLA, is the most in the Pac-12.

RUN IT BACK

• Arizona returns all six starters and its libero, seven of 11 returning letterwinners, from last season. The Wildcats are the only team in the Pac-12 to return all six starters from last year.
• The Wildcats return 78% of their kills (1,057-of-1,363), 93% of their assists (1,177-of-1,260), 73% of their digs (1,102-of-1,502) and 76% of their blocks from last season.
• Arizona's freshman class in 2017 was one of its best in school history. Four freshmen (Paige Whipple - 213; Elizabeth Shelton - 187; Candice Denny - 106; Katie Smoot - 71) had more than 60 kills last year for the first time in school history. Candice Denny had the third best hitting percentage in UA freshman history (.302) and Paige Whipple had the ninth most digs (213) by a freshman in school history to go along with her 213 kills.